1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for separating a device-forming layer from a base body suitable for use in fabricating thin-film solar cells, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
Forty years or so have passed since the first solar cell was invented. Although some solar cells are used in practice, reduction in cost is of a particular importance for their full-scale use in the future. Additionally, from the viewpoint of preventing the global warming, the time for energy recovery should be reduced to one year or less. Therefore, in order to minimize the energy required for fabricating solar cells, thin-film solar cells are more preferable to thick-film solar cells which need more energy for fabrication.
On the other hand, thin-film solar cells can be bent to an extent, which permits them to be mounted along a curved portion of a vehicle body or a curved outer portion of a portable electric appliance, for example, to generate electrical energy. If thin-film solar cells are used in solar battery chargers, they can be compactly folded and can be extended only in actual operation.
Conventionally known as thin-film solar cells are amorphous silicon solar cells which are made on plastic substrates. These amorphous silicon solar cells, however, involve the problem that the efficiency is originally low and becomes still lower during its use. To cope with the problem, there has been a demand for thin-film solar cells using single-crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon having a higher efficiency than amorphous silicon.